Electric power plant



HJR. PATTE ELECTRIC 'PowER PLANT Fl LED SEPT. 1 1919 AHPERE I /4\ I I Ci'JNV Y a U/ Patte Patented 51mm 2, 1923* UNITED STATES PATENT HARRY R.PATTERSON, OF TOLEDO,

ELECT BIC POWER PLANT.

Application filed September 1' *0 all w ham may concern:

Be it known that l, HARRY 1t. fBAT'lYEltSUN, 2L citizen. of the UnitedStates, residing at 'lolerlo in the county of Li'icm; and State. ofOhio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in ElectricPower Pie. of which I declan the following to he :2 l clear, and exactdescription.

This invention relates to electric power plants which comprise an.internal combustion engine, a tlynnmo electric machine driven therebyand connected to charge a storage battery manually operated controlopparzb tus for inaugurating the charge and automatic means for limitingthe amount oi? charge given to the battery.

With that device in the hands 01 a careless or ignorant person there is:1 possibility under a certain peculiar combination of circumstancesthat the battery migllt he seri ously depleted and the dynamo electricmachine injured by exce c current. Such a conditioi'x might arise if thestarting lever were to be operated intentionally or accidentally afterthe engine had been automatically stopped and before the battery had(lischarged an appreciable amount and it the engine should refuse to runas throu 'h lack of fuel. l nrler such circumstances the (l namoelectric nmchine might, if properstepe were not taken open the startincircuit, continue in its cili'ort to start a engine thereby liissip tingthe battery and Qlhlfiflgeringg itself from excessive current. 7

An ohfect of nlfv invention is to provide an in'lproi'eml :m of the.nature indicated above which shall he free from complicated and delicateparts, simple to operate and at the slime time shall he positive andreliable in its operation.

Another object. is to provide a system which can. nnrler no circnnstances. (lo itself injur umler the conditions outlined above.

Further objects of this im'entionrclate to economies ofmanut'acturc ancliletiiils of construction will hereinafter appear from the detaileddescription to follow. I accomplish the oh .tsot' my invention inoneinstance o the devices: and moons iles-eribed in the followingspecification, but it is e'viclont that the. some may he varied widelywithout departing From the scopeof the invention as pointed out in the,appended claims. A structure constituting: one cmhmliment of myinvntion, which may he the preferred, is illus- 10, 1912. 581512132 0tratecl in the 21';

in" a part ther i f u H i e, lvll x" graninnnic shiny Un the t engine lcommon the pr: tliiril and o are sho electric lnectcd storage but. hourincte otetl to the on anti 31 held jnstah' actual contact t spacer 3'7.

tact members 3?) brush of the mac-hi while the othey coo with the shunture 31 preier lower roluctanc in. its normal 1*. This'a mat-n 2122i whiThe armature in ito closed with the, e three wind; 46,'a note:

contact member whereby it is traversed by the translating the entirecharging and starting current. The two pomn tial windings l7 and 48 areboth connected by the wire 49 with the wire 40, the former beingpermanently grounded at 48 while the latter is adapted to be grounded bythe switch 50 of the ampere hour meter contacting with the groundedcontact 51.

The operation of the device. is as follows 2- Suppose, with the enginestill and the switch and ampere hour meter in the position illustratedin the drawing, it is desired to charge the battery. The hand lever 36would be rocked to depress armature 30 to close the shunt field circuitand the main circuit. Current from the battery will thereupon flowthrough the; ampere hour meter, the electromagnetic switch, the shuntfield winding and the armature of the dynamo electric machine wherebythis machine will operate as a motor to turn over the engine. A suitableE. M. F. will also be supplied from the third brush 10 to the ignitionsystem of the engine. The lever 36 will be held in rocked position untilthe engine begins to operate under its own power and reaches normalspeed when the current will flow from the dynamo electric machine. nowacting as a generator. to charge the battery. The flux due to thepotential winding 47 and the series winding 46 will hold the armature 30in its closed circuit position but will not be sufficient to move thearmature ill At the completion of the charge, the switch 50 will touchthe grounded contact 51 and thereby will close the circuit of thepotential winding 48. Since this windin 48 is wound to have a cumulativeeil ect the additional flux arising therefrom will be suilicient toovercome the tension of spring 33 and attract thearmature 31. Thisarmature 31 being of lower reluctance than armature 30 and beingpermitted to come into direct contact with the head 2'? will provide arelative low reluctance shunt path for the Flux previously traversingarmature 30. The armature 3K) will thereby move to release positionopening the main charging circuit as well the Shunt field circuit. Thegenerator if]. M. F. will quickly fall to a value too low to l'n'm 'ideproper ignition when the engine will accordingly come to rest and thesystem will thus automatically resume the condition with which the tiescription of the operation was started.

Should it be desired to stop the charge manually the push button 44 maybe operated to cause the armatures 31 and 30 to function in. the mannerjust described. to open the shunt field and charging clircuits. it ispreferable to so adjust the switch 25 that the field circuit is closedfirst.

As current is drawn from the battery by devices the ampere hour meteroperates in the opposite direction from what it did'on charge and thegmtact member will accordingly move away from the grounded contact andremain out of con tact therewith until the battery has again \been givena full charge.

Having thus described my invention. what I claim as new and desiretor/secure by Letters Patent. is: 1. In a system of the class describedthe combination of a dynamo electrit, machine. a battery connected to becharged thereby. an electromagnetic switch in said charging circuit saidswitch having-a current winding and a first potential winding forholding saidswitch closed during the fhargi ng of the battery and asecond potential winding all cumulative in their effect, an ampere hourmeter in said charging circuit having a switch adapted to close thecircuit of said second potential winding after the battery has receiveda predetermined charge, and means for causing said electro-magneticswitch to open when the circuit of said second potential winding isclosed.

2. In a system of the class described the combination of a dynamoelectric machine. a battery connected to be charged thereby. anelectromagnetic. switch in said charging circuit having a currentwinding and having an armature carrying a switch contact. a secondarmature of relatively low reluctance adapted to provide the flux ofsaid switch. a potential winding for said switch and an ampere hourmeter in said charging circuit constructed to close the circuit of saidthe battery has received. a predetermined charge, the two windings beingcumulatively wound whereby when the potential winding is energized thesecond armature is attracted permitting the lrelease of the firstmentioned armature carrying the switch contact.

In a system of the class described. the combination of a dynamo-electricmachine, a. battery in circuit to be charged thereby, an ampere hourmeter in series with the battery, an electromagnetic switch in saidcharging circuit having a current winding and having an contact, a.second armature of lower reluctance than said first armature adaptedwhen operated to shunt the flux from said first armature and permit itsreturn to open circuit position, two potential windings for said switch,said ampere hour meter having a switch for closing the circuitof one ofsaid potential windings, all of said Windings being cumulatively whenthe ampere hour meter switch is closed the electromagnetic switch isopened.

4.. Ina device of the class described the combination of an internalcombustion en:

a shunt path for armature carrying a switch potential winding afterginehating an ignition system, a dynamo electric machine having a-shuntfield circuit driventhereby and connected to said igni-.

.the battery. is being charged, one of. saidv potential windings beingconnected to be controlled by said first mentioned switch.

5. In a system of the class described, the combination of an internalcombustion engine, a dynamo-electric machine driven thereby having afield circuit, a battery connected to be charged from said machine,switch means for opening said charging circuit and said field circuitafter the passage of a predetcrmined'amount of electricity into said.battery, and an'ignition system for said engine connected to receivecurrent from said machine independently of said switch means. 6. In asystem ofthe class described, the combination of an internal combustionengine, a generator connected to be driven thereby having a shunt fieldwinding and third brush for supplying ignition current, a storagebattery adapted to be charged by said generator, an electromagneticswitch for controlling the current taken by said battery and by saidfield winding, an ignition. system for said engine connected to saidthird brush and an ampere hour meter in series with said batteryforcontrolling the operation of said switch whereby when the battery isfully charged the generator field circuit is opened and the engine stopsdue to insuiiicient ignition current.

7 In a system of the class described, the combination of a generator, abattery connected to be charged thereby, an electro-mag netic switch insaid charging circuit having a cummulatively wound series and shunt'winding for holding said switch closed during the charging of thebattery, means responsive to the amount of current received by saidbattery for causing an increase in flux of said electromagnetic switchand means controlled by said increase in flux for causing the release ofsaid switch.

8. In a system of the class described, the combination of adynamo-electric machine, a battery connected to be charged thereby, an

. electro-magnetic switch in said charging circuit, said switch having aplurality of-windings cumulatively wound, one of said wind-- ings beingconnected to be excited. during the charging'ot' the battery, meansresponsive to the charged condition of said battery for closing thecircuit of theother of said windings, and means responsive to thecombined flux of said windings for causing said switch to open.

9. In a system of the class described, the

combination of a dynamo-electric machine, a battery connected to becharged thereby, an electro-n'iagnetic switch in said charging circuithaving a current winding. a first potential winding to normally holdsaid switch "lfiSHl during the charging function and a. second potentialwinding the normal effect of said windi s being cumulative, meansresponsive to pro-determined charged con.- dition of said battery forclosing the ci cuit of said second potential winding, and means wherebythe combined flu of said three windings. causes said switch to open.

10. In a system of the class described, the combination of adynamoelectric machine, a battery connected to be charged thereby, anelectro-magnetic switch in'said charging ci'icuit, said switch. having awinding traversed by the charging current, a winding connecttric machineand acting cumniulatii'ely with said first winding and a third windingalso commulative in its effect and connected across said machine, meansresponsive to the passage of a predetermined amount of electricity intosaid battery for closing the circuit of said third winding and meansresponsive to the combinedfluxior" said three windings for causing saidswitch to open said charging circuit.

In testimony whereof. I atlix my signature.

n i R. PATTERSON.

-96 ed across the terminals of said dynamo-elem

